Texans Notes: Offensive linemen Salaam, Weary hobbled

TEXANS NOTES

By John McClain |
August 8, 2008

The Texans have injury problems with two of last season’s starting offensive linemen.

Left tackle Ephraim Salaam, who plays behind rookie Duane Brown, has a sore knee. RG Fred Weary, who backs up Mike Briesel, is having problems with the leg that required surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula in December.

“His (Salaam) knee has been bothering him since he woke up this morning,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “It’s really bothering him, and it’s a big concern. We’ve got to figure out what’s bothering him.”

Weary, who has struggled since camp began, has a problem with the screws that were inserted into his leg. Complicating the problem is that Scott Jackson, who can play guard or tackle, has been out with a foot injury.

“The bottom line with Fred and Scott is when we lost them we thought we were looking at a short period of time,” Kubiak said. “We thought they’d be back, but here we are two weeks into it, and they’re still over there (riding) bikes.

“That’s not good for the team, and it’s not good for their situation trying to make this team, (but) there’s nothing you can do. We’re trying to get them healthy, but we’re really down some bodies on the offensive line right now.”

Winston donates tickets

Offensive tackle Eric Winston is donating 2,000 tickets to the Poets and Pirates Tour on Aug. 16 at Reliant Stadium.

“I had the chance to see it (June 21 in Chicago), and you can’t beat it if you love country music,” Winston said. “I got the chance to meet a lot of them. It was a lot of fun. They put on a great show.

“I thought this concert would be a great time to get some tickets to the local firefighters and the people that serve the community. I think they deserve a little payback.”

Youth movement

Ben Rose, who did such a terrific job of overseeing the Texans’ youth football program, left to become executive director of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA). It’s a nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the culture of youth sports to give all young athletes the opportunity for a positive, character-building experience.

Rose set up a youth football game for halftime of the Texans game against Denver on Saturday at Reliant Stadium. The Texans also are introducing Rose and his organization at halftime.

At this point in his career, Turk should have a pretty good idea of what it takes to get ready for his second season with the Texans. At 6-5, 242, he is durable.

Last year, Turk had a 41.7 gross average and put 24 punts inside the 20. His 37.9 net — the most important statistic when it comes to evaluating punters — was his second best since 1998.

Turk had a net average of at least 40 yards in seven games. His best net was 48.7, and his worst was 29.0. Obviously, the Texans prefer he be closer to 48 than 29 in his 13th season.

— JOHN McCLAIN

Scare from No. 80

Texans coach Gary Kubiak didn’t try to pretend he wasn’t nervous when he saw Andre Johnson pull up short while running a route. Johnson then bent over and limped off the field.

“That’s the worst nightmare for a coach,” Kubiak said. “(A) guy like him getting hurt, it’s part of football, unfortunately, and there’s not a play that you don’t hold your breath, in all honesty,” he said. “You’ve just got to keep pushing through and hope for the best and hopefully it’s our time to stay healthy. We’ve been pretty fortunate through this camp; we’ve been pretty darn good. Keep our fingers crossed with him and see what happens.”

Johnson said his groin tightened up when he was running the route, but he’s not worried it’s serious. He rejoined his teammates at the post-practice huddle, then signed autographs for fans.

“Normally, when you have a pull or something, you can tell when you’re running by the way it feels,” Johnson said. “I didn’t feel anything pop or anything like that. I just felt it tighten up real tight on me. When I felt that, I just slowed down. I didn’t feel a pop or anything like that afterward, so like I said, I’m fine. I’ll get treatment for a few days and I’ll be fine.”

Conditioning issues

The Texans were back down to just four available running backs Saturday morning when Mike Bell left practice early with a hamstring issue. Chris Brown remained sidelined with back problems but could return as soon as Monday.

Bell’s return is uncertain. His injury was most likely caused from being behind the rest of the team in terms of conditioning.

“To be honest with you, he’s not in the shape the rest of our football team is, and we found that out real fast,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “He got gassed the first night he was out here, he got gassed earlier today, and he’s not up with our team. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you bring guys in the middle of camp ... If they’re not in excellent shape, they get exposed in a way very, very quick. I just don’t think he was in very good condition.”

Putting it on the line

With Chris Myers settled in as the team’s new starting center, the Texans must make a decision on who will back him up. Chris White is a versatile lineman who can play guard and center. He was the primary backup last season until an injury cut his season short.

Faced with the prospect of suiting up just seven linemen on Sundays, the Texans are trying to weigh their options. They also like what they have seen from Greg Eslinger, who is strictly a center.

“What we have to do is we’ve got to prepare that if we suit seven, who are those seven,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “So we’re getting (right guard Mike) Brisiel some work at center because that could always be an option. Of course, Eslinger to me is really an improved player. So we’ll see how it pans out.”

The countdown is on

The Texans are less than one week away from their first preseason game.

Next Saturday, they host the Denver Broncos at 7 p.m. at Reliant Stadium.

Coach Gary Kubiak said the entire team and coaching staff is going to be ready to hit the field against another opponent by next weekend.

“For the players, when you walk in camp, it’s a long time before you actually get to walk into a stadium and play, but now there is a little light at the end of the tunnel each week,” Kubiak said. “We just hope we get a few of these kids back next week and get healthy and get ready to play next weekend.”

­— Megan Manfull

Did You Know?

The Texans have five players from Colorado State, tying it with Miami for the most on the roster. The Colorado State players are guard Mike Briesel, receiver David Anderson, TE Joel Dreessen, CB Dexter Wynn and DE Jesse Nading.